


HAPPY

by GoldenHookDrabbles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Happy Snape Week, I Tried, I haven't written in awhile but I wanted to participate, I hope it's happy enough for, M/M, Relationships are more friendship or hinted at than ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:16:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9284006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenHookDrabbles/pseuds/GoldenHookDrabbles
Summary: A collection of four works based on the letters HAPPY.They don't belong in the same AU and some could be seen as canon compliant. Some where unfinished pieces and ideas I've been working on but they were not strong enough on their own but I think they work well together as a collection.





	

H- Hawk Owl

Severus looks up from his desk, where he’s spent far more time at this morning than he meant to, when he hears the somewhat familiar call of Cerridwen. The small brown and white hawk owl lets out a shrill sound as she soars through the open window, spelled to keep the January chill out of course. 

Cerridwen, “You could call her Wen for short Severus.” Headmaster Dumbledore had suggested when he had presented her to Severus. Severus had been irritated. Both because he’d been expecting to attend a last minute staff meeting only to find an impromptu surprise birthday party held by the few staff members who had remained at Hogwarts over the winter break. And also because what could he want with an owl of his own? The school had plenty of live in owls that more than saw to his needs, and he thought to himself with a touch of bitterness, it’s not as if he had a lot of people to write to. Most of his former classmates were either dead or in prison, the remaining few distancing themselves from others in the Dark Lords circle to avoid the second. Not that he had any intention of contacting them. 

He did ignore the warmth the party and presents had inspired in him. He had never had a party, and while not the kind of thing another his age would consider a  _ real  _ party what with it being held at work with coworkers who had taught him when he was in school. And the presents being generally generic practical gifts. A new potions book from Professor McGonagall. A crushed but still hard cake from Hagrid. A set of quills and ink, including a few colors other than black from Professor Flitwick, a few cuttings from the school’s greenhouse from Professor Sprout and of course the hawk owl from Headmaster Dumbledore. It had been more gifts than Severus had ever received. The last gift he’d been given had been several years earlier. From Lily. The birthday before Potter’s prank that caused Severus to lose his temper and call his only friend that horrid name. 

Still. He thought. It’s not as if the other staff had to give him anything or acknowledge his birthday in anyway. Severus certainly hadn’t planned on going to. But they had. Offering yet another olive branch to the young Professor. 

Cerridwen lands gracefully on Severus’ worktable. Careful to avoid the delicate glass of the potion vials. Severus’ brows furrow as the owl bends forward and drops the small animal she carried in her beak on the cutting board he uses to dice and chop for his ingredients. He sighs. At least he hadn’t started working yet, least the animal ruin his work by dropping unexpected “presents” and contaminating his work.

“I thought cats were supposed to bring mice to their owners.” Severus doesn’t know why but he’s started to talk to the bird. Mostly sort orders, such as move. Take this to__. But sometimes more conversational things. He found himself muttering about students work or other things that irritated him and somehow Cerridwen would not be far as if she was listening. As always she doesn’t respond. She rarely makes noise. Thank Merlin. He wouldn’t stand for a bird who chittered and squawked all day. Instead she watches him with her large yellow eyes. Severus rises from his seat and moves to his work table reaching for the animal having long ago lost the concern for touching dead animals. 

He’s surprised. It’s not a mouse at all. Now that he’s looking properly he sees that the animal is far too long to be a mouse or even a rat. One of Hagrid’s ferrets? 

A Jarvey he realises with a start. The owl has found and killed a magical creature. A creature that lives primarily underground no less. The vocal cords of the Jarvey may have magical properties. But the elusiveness of the animal has made experimentation difficult. 

Severus finds himself smiling. Perhaps the owl is more helpful than just mail. He reaches out and runs his fingers over the bird’s head feeling the soft feathers under his fingertips. 

 

A- Amortentia

When Severus was feeling practically upset or sad he would brew Amortentia to cheer himself up.

Not to use mind you. He just liked to brew it, the motions becoming an easy rhythm that distracted him from his troubles.

It started when he was in his fifth year. Having borrowed an older student’s textbook with the intent to read ahead he had come across the love potion. He’d laughed at the time. Imaging a silly girl trying to slip it into the food or drink of her crush.

Later when he became a teacher he indeed found girls, and boys, trying to secretly brew the potion and on occasion he had to help Poppy with the effects on the victims.

As a teen he originally hadn’t been interested in brewing it. A year later when he had to do it for class he was more interested in the challenge of it. While waiting for the potion to turn it’s mother of pearl Professor Slughorn had mentioned again about the potion’s unique sent abilities.

Lily had turned to him and asked what he thought his would smell like. He hadn’t the courage to tell her he was certain it was going to be her raspberry shampoo. Simply saying he didn’t know and yes he promised to tell her. She then began to speculate what hers would smell like.

A few minutes later the color shifted and Lily eagerly leaned forward to take a deep breath of her potion.

“It smells like fresh cut grass, and flowers…and…” She smells again, “Parchment and old books!” There also was another scent that she couldn’t identify but had a lively citrus scent with different spices, kind of woodsy, and amber or musk? “Now you.” She spoke happily. Severus leaned over his potion.

“It’s…” like he thought her shampoo was there, “It smells like raspberries, and the lake after it rains and…” He also had a scent he couldn’t identify. It was masculine, with hints of cedar, nutmeg, jasmine, and vanilla. It was definitely cologne of some sort. Expensive he would guess. It smelled natural and not synthetic.

“And?” Lily prods.

“And some sort of cologne.” He shrugs.

Lily hums, “Maybe someone your dorm uses if? You should find out what it is maybe you would like to wear it.” She then goes on about what her choice of perfume would be. Something flowery he remembers. 

He hadn’t been able to find someone in his house with the scent. Not that he tried very hard. They already barely tolerated him can’t go around sniffing people and making himself looking even weirder.

He’d found it later after he graduated and Lily died, in a men’s clothing store in diagon alley. He was right. It was expensive. More than he could afford on a teacher's salary. And it’s not like he had anyone to wear it for anyway. Plus it wasn’t something he imagined himself wearing. It seemed to him that the person who wore it was someone who didn’t mind attention being drawn to them. Severus preferred a Spanish sage, silver armoise, and white musk blend Minervia had given him the first Christmas he was a professor it was softer. Quite. To him it was more for the enjoyment of the person wearing it than to attract the attention of a suiter. 

As he got older he continued to brew the amortentia when he needed to. The comforting scents calming him down and soothing his mind.

“Professor Snape?” Harry prompts. His voice startling Severus from his thoughts. “You alright?”

“Yes Mr. Potter I’m fine. Just distracted.” Harry nods.

“Ginny and I wanted to thank you for coming to the wedding.” He says nodding to his new wife where she stands speaking to her family. Severus accepts the thanks and makes polite comments on the ceremony. Suddenly the smell of familiar nutmeg and jasmine cologne surrounds him. An arm is thrown around Severus’ shoulders pulling him into the other’s body.

“Hey! So what are my two favorite people talking about over here in the corner?” Sirius questions with a laugh. 

 

PP- Pumpkins and Potions

“Why are girls obsessed with pumpkins?” Severus asked watching two hufflepuffs eagerly discuss the sign in the window of the three broomsticks proclaiming that they were serving  _ hot _ pumpkin juice. Severus suspected that it was a cider though he didn’t actually know the difference. 

“Why are you so obsessed with potions?” Was Lily’s response voice light and teasing. She laughs at her friends answering glare and small huff. “It’s not just girls who like pumpkins. Besides it’s just something that makes some people happy. Like how potions make you happy.” 

“I’ve never squealed like a pig over potions.” 

“Oh please. You might have kept it inside but I know you were just as excited our first day of potions when we finally got to work instead of read. And again when Slughorn said we could independently study instead of following his syllabus.” 

“Potions are useful. You can do lots of things with them.” He mumbles. Not agreeing with Lily’s assessment about his excitement but also not challenging it. 

“You can do lots of things with pumpkins.” She starts to list, “There’s pumpkin juice, bread, coffee, cookies, pies, you can roast the seeds…” 

“That’s just different ways to eat a pumpkin.” 

“Oh and how do you use a potion?” Lily’s face breaks into a grin at Severus’ sputtering. 

“You don’t have to drink a potion there’s some you can use on the skin like lotion.” 

“Besides you like pumpkins.” Lily teases. 

“I do?” 

“Yes!” She laughs shoving his shoulder playfully. “Remember? Before we came to hogwarts we carved them for halloween! Then when it got dark the whole street had jack-o-lanterns on their porches. It was great!” 

“It was creepy. All those faces in the dark, eyes and smiles made from flames.” 

“Stop it.” Lily pushes his shoulder again and a laugh bubbles up from his chest. “You liked it I know you did. You took your pumpkin home and the next year you asked if we could do it again.” They fall quite. Leaves crunch under their shoes. “We should get some.”   
“Get some what?” Lily gives him a look as if to say, ‘What have we been talking about?’ 

“Get some of the hot pumpkin juice, just to try it. Also we should get some pumpkins.” 

“Why?” Lily rolls her eyes. Sometimes Severus was a little dense. She was sure he did it on purpose just to annoy her.

“To carve! Just because we’re not home doesn’t mean we can’t still do it.”    
“The school already has jack-o-lanterns.” 

“So there’s no reason we can’t still make some. Plus we’ll do it because it’s fun.” Severus smiles at his friends beaming face. 

“Sure.” 

 

Y-Yellow flowers

Everyone thought the white lily was Lily’s favorite. From her her mother to her friends they bought and dressed her in them. Her mother when she got married and her friends when she passed. When Severus had visited the grave after everyone left, it was covered in white lilies. They almost glowed in the night.    
He smiles and placed his bundle with the others. When he saw the large brightly colored petals of the yellow lillies at the shop he knew he had to get them. The pristine petals bending as they lean against the stone. Their color standing out like a beacon. He moves his flowers closer to the center of the pile. 

It makes him chuckle. A part of him thinks the action is appropriate despite being in a graveyard. Lily brought him a lot of joy. His memories of her create his patronus and he thinks, she would have liked the image the yellow surrounded by the white reminds him of.

A daisy. 

Her actual favorite. She told him once she wanted to name her daughter Daisy. She liked the idea of continuing the tradition her mother started. It was a common flower. Not like the stunning, sought after flower she was named for. 

But. That’s why she liked them.

They grew in the park where they met. Severus remembers warm spring afternoons sitting in the grass plucking at the little flowers. Lily showing him how to tie the stems together to make necklaces. She said the daisy was the perfect flower for spring. White like the clouds in the sky. Yellow for the sun. 

Severus runs his fingers over the cool granite of the head stone, the tips sliding over the name and dates etched onto it. 

“I’ll look after your boy Lily.” He promises, voice a whisper, “You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure he makes it through whatever happens next.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Severus is my favorite character so I wanted to participate in the happy Snape Week on Tumblr but I wasn't sure if it's happy enough. Hopefully you enjoyed it! Please let me know if you did!
> 
> Oh my gosh Hawk owl's look tiny. I thought they were big but they weight like 12oz. I love the idea of Severus having this tiny little bird for a friend.  
> I liked the idea of a daisy being Lily's favorite flower because I liked the idea that she saw the beauty in the common or less popular. Plus they have a meaning of mother's love which ties into her story, and also farewell and true love which ties into Severus'.
> 
> All mistakes are mine.


End file.
